Synopsis

The ThingJohn Carpenter's The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name and a re-adaptation of the John W. Campbell Jr. story "Who Goes There?" on which it was based. Carpenter's film is more faithful to Campbell's story than Hawks' version and also substantially more reliant on special effects, provided in abundance by a team of over 40 technicians, including veteran creature-effects artists Rob Bottin and Stan Winston. The film opens enigmatically with a Siberian Husky running through the Antarctic tundra, chased by two men in a helicopter firing at it from above. Even after the dog finds shelter at an American research outpost, the men in the helicopter (Norwegians from an outpost nearby) land and keep shooting. One of the Norwegians drops a grenade and blows himself and the helicopter to pieces; the other is shot dead in the snow by Garry (Donald Moffat), the American outpost captain. American helicopter pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell, fresh from Carpenter's Escape From New York) and camp doctor Copper (Richard Dysart) fly off to find the Norwegian base and discover some pretty strange goings-on. The base is in ruins, and the only occupants are a man frozen to a chair (having cut his own throat) and the burned remains of what could be one man or several men. In a side room, Copper and MacReady find a coffin-like block of ice from which something has been recently cut. That night at the American base, the Husky changes into the Thing, and the Americans learn first-hand that the creature has the ability to mutate into anything it kills. For the rest of the film the men fight a losing (and very gory) battle against it, never knowing if one of their own dwindling number is the Thing in disguise. Though resurrected as a cult favorite, The Thing failed at the box office during its initial run, possibly because of its release just two weeks after Steven Spielberg's warmly received E.T.The Extra-Terrestrial. Along with Ridley Scott's futuristic Alien, The Thing helped stimulate a new wave of sci-fi horror films in which action and special effects wizardry were often seen as ends in themselves. ~ Anthony Reed, Rovi

The Best Scifi-Horror Film Ever Made!

John Carpenter's The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name and a re-adaptation of the John W. Campbell Jr. story "Who Goes There?" on which it was based. Carpenter's film is more faithful to Campbell's story than Hawks' version and also substantially more reliant on special effects, provided in abundance by a team of over 40 technicians, including veteran creature-effects artists Rob Bottin and Stan Winston. The film opens enigmatically with a Siberian Husky running through the Antarctic tundra, chased by two men in a helicopter firing at it from above. Even after the dog finds shelter at an American research outpost, the men in the helicopter (Norwegians from an outpost nearby) land and keep shooting. One of the Norwegians drops a grenade and blows himself and the helicopter to pieces; the other is shot dead in the snow by Garry (Donald Moffat), the American outpost captain. American helicopter pilot MacReady (Kurt Russell, fresh from Carpenter's Escape From New York) and camp doctor Copper (Richard Dysart) fly off to find the Norwegian base and discover some pretty strange goings-on. The base is in ruins, and the only occupants are a man frozen to a chair (having cut his own throat) and the burned remains of what could be one man or several men. In a side room, Copper and MacReady find a coffin-like block of ice from which something has been recently cut. That night at the American base, the Husky changes into the Thing, and the Americans learn first-hand that the creature has the ability to mutate into anything it kills. For the rest of the film the men fight a losing (and very gory) battle against it, never knowing if one of their own dwindling number is the Thing in disguise. Though resurrected as a cult favorite, The Thing failed at the box office during its initial run, possibly because of its release just two weeks after Steven Spielberg's warmly received E.T.The Extra-Terrestrial. Along with Ridley Scott's futuristic Alien, The Thing helped stimulate a new wave of sci-fi horror films in which action and special effects wizardry were often seen as ends in themselves.
- Video
They used the same beautiful 1080p/VC-1 transfer from the 2006 HD DVD release and it is Quality. You will love the color, contrast and clarity this BD brings to the table, giving " The Thing " a renewed appearance that will knock your socks off! A BD-25 GB disc is used, with a resolution of 2.35:1.
- Audio
Universal includes a English DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio, while this is a nice step up from the HD disc which offered the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround sound. This is a positive move, but sadly it wasn't used to the fullest, with this soundtrack being front heavy and not immersive, meaning it could use a good remastering to bring it up to 2008 standards, I found it fell short of my expectations of what a DTS-HD Master soundtrack should sound like.. If only they had used a BD-50 GB and mixed it into 7.1 surround sound, this would have been more appropriate for a film of this caliber.
- Extras
Audio Commentary by John Carpenter & Kurt Russell
Terror Takes Shape a PIP Documentary of: The Making of the Thing
My Scenes Share your favorite scenes online using BD-Live
I felt the extra's in this release were quite sparse, compared to the HD-DVD version, which included the 85 minute documentary of " Terror Takes Shape " the making of the Thing.
" The Thing" is one of my all time favorite Scifi-Horror films of all times for so many reasons which make me nostalgic for John Carpenter films, which I feel fortunate to have been around to see his great films on the big screen, he puts his heart into his work and it shows in this film!

I would recommend this to a friend

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doc8998

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Like watching for 1st time all over again

Posted 1 year ago

doc8998

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The Thing is one of my all-time favorite films, and Scream Factory's loving remaster is absolutely the way to watch this classic, not just of the horror genre, but movies of the past half century.
As an owner of the Collector's Edition DVD issued by Universal (Itself a great issue of the film,) many years ago, I originally hesitated due to other priorities. I wish I had made this version a priority much earlier.
Scream Factory restored The Thing into a 2K scan, and if it weren't for certain items that date the movie, (or my own rapidly increasing dating,) you'd swear it was a recently filmed movie. The icy Antarctic setting, the blacks of night, the light of fires, and Rob Bottin's artistically gory practical effects all pop in this scan. If you loved the Universal DVD picture, this will blow you away.
Extra-wise, Scream Factory always provides; here, they've included everything from the Universal Collector's Edition as well as their standard inclusion of many new extras. All told, you'll receive a blu ray with film and extras, including a new commentary, (as well as previous ones,) and several other extras, as well as a second DVD including the 80min Making Of documentary, as well as a slew of others.
The Thing comes from a heyday of great horror that still holds strong, even bettering most new voices that have come since. It, much like the original Alien, still hold the power to shock and awe. Regardless of whether you own a prior version, THIS is the version you need to add to your library.
Scream Factory ALWAYS delivers; with The Thing, they hit the high mark even among their other re-releases.

I would recommend this to a friend

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IndyTim

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

So happy to find this in the store

Posted 2 years ago

IndyTim

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The Thing Collector's Edition had been available on Blu-ray online, but I was having difficulty finding it in any retail stores. Then I checked with my local Best Buy and they had it. I was very excited. It's great that Best Buy is carrying stock of the Shout! Factory titles because they are truly excellent releases, and The Thing is no exception. It includes a beautiful slipcover with reversible art of the original Drew Struzan artwork. There are two Blu-ray discs in this package, one of which is strictly for the bonus features. This release is loaded with extras. There are new interviews and retrospectives. There is a 30-minute interview with John Carpenter, discussing the making of the film. Then there is an hour-long feature on the men of the outpost in the film. They each discuss their characters and the real-life experience of filming the movie in the cold. Kurt Russel is absent, but practically everyone else is here, including Wilford Brimley. Plus, there are more. And you get several commentaries. I do believe the old Universal commentary is on here as well. Thanks to BB for carrying it and having it at a great price; it was less than Amazon.

I would recommend this to a friend

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eckoe

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Top 500 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

...the thing from another world...

Posted 2 years ago

eckoe

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Top 500 Contributor

The Thing (also known as John Carpenter's The Thing) is a 1982 American science-fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter, written by Bill Lancaster, and starring Kurt Russell. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a parasitic extraterrestrial lifeform that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates them. The Thing infiltrates an Antarctic research station, taking the appearance of the researchers that it absorbs, and paranoia develops within the group.
The film is based on John W. Campbell, Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?, which was more loosely adapted by Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby as the 1951 film The Thing from Another World. Carpenter considers The Thing to be the first part of his Apocalypse Trilogy, followed by Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness. Although the films are narratively unrelated, each features a potentially apocalyptic scenario; should "The Thing" ever reach civilization, it would be only a matter of time before it consumes all life on Earth. Carpenter acknowledged that the work of H.P. Lovecraft also inspired the film.

I would recommend this to a friend

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Boosterfan25

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

A 2K Upgrade of a Horror Classic

Posted 1 year ago

Boosterfan25

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Let me first start by saying: I love these Shout Factory releases. Everything from the improved picture quality, to the awesome and in-depth special features, to the exclusive cover art makes these blu rays such an enjoyable purchase for movie buffs because THESE are the reasons we buy blu rays.
This is an 80's horror classic that is actually a remake of a movie made in the 50's. Kurt Russell and John Carpenter re-team to bring us a fantastic horror movie that operates on all the levels that a good horror/thriller film should. You feel a constant rising tension and are thrust into a story with rich characters.
Again, what makes this blu ray worth the purchase is the improved video quality as well as the amped up special features from the initial release. As a movie buff, I always get more enjoyment out of watching behind the scenes featurettes and commentaries than I sometimes do from watching the actual film. This is a must buy for all Carpenter fans!

I would recommend this to a friend

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geminidreamatl30

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Now this is how you do a collectors edition

Posted 1 year ago

geminidreamatl30

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Scream Factory a division of Shout factory has been releasing collectors editions of horror films for a few years now and gives us fans, movies, otherwise ignored or not featuring any special features from the main studios, tons of bonus features and remastered audio and picture. i had the original barebones the thing blu ray for awhile but when i saw they were doing this one, i was like sold. the main selling point for me was the insane amount of bonus content including new interviews, new making of segements, commentaries, outtakes, network version and more. The thing is prob the scariest movie john carpenter has directed since halloween. it is very claustrophobic as it takes place in a base camp in antartica with no escape. the atmosphere is scary, the paranioa is scary and real and the ending is perfect. highly recommended

I would recommend this to a friend

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Diabrettic

Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

It's a beautiful Thing

Posted 2 years ago

Diabrettic

Member

This is one of my favorite movies, and hearing it would be put out by Shout! Factory was a dream come true. I was a little disappointed at the quality of the new transfer on their recent release of The Transformers, but this film they nailed it harder than I have ever seen it nailed before. I have watched and watched the bare bones bluray, and there is no comparison. The picture is so much noticeably better here. Add to that a whole disc worth of awesome new and archival extras and you have a must-own special edition of this horror classic.

I would recommend this to a friend

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moviefanatic

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Elite Plus Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

"The Thing" re-make closer to the original story!

I have both the original "The Thing, from another world" and John Carpenter's re-make of "The Thing". Both are based on the original magazine short story titled "Who Goes There?" Each version is excellent in presenting the basic theme of the story and each is GREAT! in it own way. Although John Carpenter's re-make tracks closer to the original story-line, it is well worth the price to have BOTH versions in your collection. Either version will scare the pajamas off you if viewed at bedtime. Be warned!